The Raggedy Adventures of Amelia Pond
by OswinUnderground
Summary: What if the Doctor had kept his promise and returned for Amelia on the night they first met? How would their lives have been different? (Not a season 5 fix-it, more like an AU prequel)
1. Raggedy Man

**disclaimer: obviously I have no copyright on anything owned by BBC, but the original ideas presented are mine.**

**Author's note: This chapter has a lot of dialogue from The Eleventh Hour. I promise this won't always be the case, I just needed to show where the AU began, because that's really important. Thanks for reading! Please review, I LOVE feedback, even when its negative.**

* * *

"Wait here, we will be back in five minutes," Amelia's father had said. Her parents still had not come back, and Amelia Pond had been waiting a very long time.

The crack in the wall was growing. Amelia was beginning to fear it might swallow her whole while she slept. She wasn't sure when it had first appeared, but she had been very young. At first it looked like a normal crack, boring and hardly noticeable. But one night the crack split wide open, the burning white light poured out and a monstrous voice began shouting from the other side. It had grown a little more every night since.

Aunt Sharon insisted that the crack was completely ordinary. She said the light and the voice coming through the crack were nothing more than a recurring nightmare. And when Amelia continued to fear the crack, Aunt Sharon threatened to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist.

Since Aunt Sharon wasn't any help, Amelia eventually decided to appeal to a higher authority.

"Dear Santa," she said as she knelt by her bed. "Thank you for the dolls and pencils and the fish. It's Easter now, so I hope I didn't wake you, but honest, it is an emergency. There's a crack in my wall. Aunt Sharon says it's just an ordinary crack, but I know it's not, because at night there's voices, so please, please, could you send someone to fix it? Or a policeman. Or a-"

Suddenly there was a loud whooshing noise, and then what sounded like an explosion in her garden. "Back in a moment," she said and then she grabbed her torch and ran to her window. A glowing blue box had fallen out of the sky and flattened the little shed at the back of the garden.

"Thank you Santa." She ran outside to investigate.

It was a police box. An eerie glowing police box. Heat radiated off it and smoke billowed from its broken windows. Amy approached it slowly.

Suddenly the doors were flung open and a man climbed out and sat on the edge of the box. He was dripping wet and grinning.

"Whoa, look at that," he said, leaning back to look down in the box. He nearly fell.

"Are you okay?" asked Amelia. The man reminded her of a doll stolen by a puppy, because his clothes were torn and his hair stuck out. He was absolutely raggedy.

"Just had a fall. All the way down there, right to the library. Hell of a climb back up."

"You're soaking wet."

"I was in the swimming pool."

"You said you were in the library."

"So was the swimming pool."

He must be mad, Amelia thought. He might not be any help at all. "Are you a policeman?" she asked.

"Why? Did you call for a policeman?" the man asked. Then he continued as if talking to himself, "Do I look like a policeman? That would be an inconvenient trait to have."

"Did you come about the crack in my wall?"

"What crack-" He fell off the box.

"Are you all right?" Even the way he moved reminded Amelia of a rag doll.

"I'm – I'm uh," he gasped, and then exhaled a golden cloud. Amelia thought it might have been stardust. "I'm fine," he said after a moment. "I'm still cooking, that's all. Does it scare you?"

"No it just looks a bit weird." The stardust was radiating off his skin as well. Amelia wondered why.

"No, no, I meant the crack in your wall. Does it scare you?"

"Yes."

"Well then, no time to lose. I'm the Doctor and –" he grabbed his chest and gasped. "Ah, like I said, I'm still cooking. Ow!" He stood up awkwardly and leaned on the box. "Whoa, I feel wibbly." He collapsed.

"Mister, are you all right?" asked Amelia. She poked him with her foot, and he exhaled more stardust, but he didn't wake up. She left him there and ran back inside.

She returned to the box with two blankets, two cups, and a thermos of tea. She laid one blanket over the raggedy man and bundled herself up in the other one. Then she poured herself a cup of tea, sat on her swing, and waited.

The stars had begun to disappear in the blue morning light when the man finally stopped glowing and began to wake. He sat up quickly and glanced around.

"Oh there you are," he said, when he saw Amelia by the swing. "I think I'm a little less wibbly now." He stood up and stumbled over to her. "I'm still wobbly though. And I'm hungry. Incredibly hu – oh is that tea? May I have some?" Amelia smiled.

"Why are you so…" She began to ask as she poured him some tea.

"Thank you," he said as she handed him the cup. "Why am I so what?"

"So weird." She was trying to be serious, but she started giggling. She liked this raggedy man.

"Weird? Is that a good weird or a bad weird?"

"Funny weird."

He seemed happy with that. "So I'm funny? Funny is good. What's your name?"

"Amelia Pond."

"Oh that's a brilliant name. Amelia Pond. Like a name in a fairy tale."

"What's your name?"

"Like I said, I'm the Doctor."

"But Doctor who?"

"I'm not quite sure yet, we'll find out," he said, standing up. "Will you show me the way to the kitchen? I'm hungry."

Finding something the Doctor would eat wasn't easy. He would try one bite of something and then spit it out as if it were the nastiest thing imaginable. Yogurt, beans, bread and butter, Amelia was running out of ideas!

"What about fish fingers?" she asked, searching through the freezer.

"The name sounds absolutely unappetizing. Who would eat fingers?"

"Custard?" She was ready to give up.

"Isn't that like yogurt, only gloopier?"

"Well how about an apple?"

"Yes! An apple! Let me try an apple!"

He ate eleven apples and asked for a twelfth, but there weren't any more.

"Amelia," he said suddenly. "Where are your parents? Are they sleeping?"

"I don't have parents," said Amelia. "Just an aunt. She's out."

"She left you alone? And you're not scared?"

"No."

"Course, you're not. You're not scared of anything. Box falls out of the sky, man falls out of a box, man glows in the dark and then falls over, and look at you, just sitting there. So you know what I think?"

"What?"

"Must be one hell of a scary crack in your wall. Let's go take a look."

The Doctor followed Amelia up the stairs, but stopped half-way up.

"Amelia," he whispered.

"What?"

"Are you _sure_ there is no one else in the house?" He leaned over the rail and checked the hallway.

"Why? Are you scared?" Amelia asked. She almost reached for the light switch, but she didn't want the Doctor to know she was afraid.

"No," said the Doctor. "But I'm wondering if I should be." Then he continued up the stairs and said, "Never mind. I'm still wibbly, that's all. I think."

"What does that even mean?"

"You know, wibbly! It means-"

Suddenly, a bell tolled outside.

"What? No! No no no no!" Shouted the Doctor, running down the stairs.

Amelia ran after him. "What's wrong?"

" I've got to get back in there. The engines are phasing. She's going to burn!" he said as he ran out into the garden.

"But it's just a box!" she said. "How can a box have engines?"

"It's not a box. It's a time machine!"

"You've got a real time machine?"

"Not for much longer if I can't get her stabilized," he said, climbing onto the box. "Five minute hop into the future should do it."

"Can I come?" A time machine! Amelia was thrilled.

"No it's not safe yet. Five minutes. Give me five minutes, I'll be right back.

"People always say that." Her parents had been lost forever in five minutes.

The Doctor stopped and looked her in the eye. "Am I people? Do I even look like people? Trust me. I'm the Doctor."

Before Amelia could respond, he jumped into the box, shouting "Geronimo!" She nearly climbed in after him, but the box disappeared.

Amelia sat down on her swing again. For once she was scared, genuinely scared, too terrified to go back in the house. There was something dreadful in there, she could feel it. The Doctor had felt it too.

The Doctor said he would be back in five minutes, and Amelia trusted him. One could be lost forever in five minutes, but she kept waiting.


	2. Ideal Neighbors

A five minute hop into the future turned out to be more difficult than the Doctor had anticipated. The console overheated, all the instruments failed and all of his estimates were blind guesses.

"Come on old girl," he said, yanking levers and stumbling about. "Don't burn out on me now!"

He managed to land her, but he wasn't sure where or when he was. He kicked open the doors (They had jammed because the stabilizers were ruined) and looked outside. He was in a sugar cane field. Somewhere in the South Pacific, he guessed as he sniffed the air. At least he was on Earth.

But _when _was he? He needed to know exactly when he was in time in order to calculate the correct space time coordinates for the trip back. Usually the Tardis calculated coordinates automatically, but she was too damaged, so he would calculate the coordinates himself, with equations he had learned as a child.

He stepped outside, and the Tardis shut her doors and locked him out.

"What? Not now!" he shouted, slamming his fist on the door.

The Tardis was programmed to begin repairs as soon as she was empty and his mind had been too frazzled to remember before he stepped out. He would have to wait until she was finished. The repairs could take hours, even days. How boring. At least he would be done regenerating by the time he returned to Amelia.

* * *

Amelia shivered. The sun was rising and the Doctor had not returned. She was beginning to lose hope. The house looked less scary in the morning light, but she was still too afraid to go back inside. She knew she would be in trouble if she was still outside when Aunt Sharon returned. _If_ she returned. She wasn't a very reliable aunt.

The Tardis finally materialized, directly in front of the swing set, startling Amelia.

"Amelia!" said the Doctor as stumbled out of the Tardis.

"You came back!" she said. She ran to him and hugged him.

The hug took the Doctor by surprise, but he hugged her back. "Of course I came back, I made a promise."

"Well what took you so long?" She stepped back and folded her arms.

"I was delayed because the Tardis – my time machine is called the Tardis – it needed repairs. But good news, I'm finished! Brand new me! Now, how about that crack in your wall?"

He started off towards the house. Amelia hesitated.

"Come along, Amelia Pond," said he said cheerfully. He walked back to her and offered his hand. "Trust me." She took his hand and followed him into the house.

As they climbed the stairs, the Doctor pulled a strange gadget from his pocket. It buzzed as he waved it about and pointed it at the walls.

"What is that?" Amelia asked.

"It's a sonic screwdriver, it buzzes and does stuff. Is this your room?"

Amelia nodded. "There's the crack," she said, pointing.

The Doctor let go of Amelia's hand and walked over to the crack. She hesitated and then followed him into the room. He scanned it the screwdriver and whistled. "Blimey, this isn't just a crack in your wall, Amelia. It's a split in the skin of the world. Two parts of space and time that should never have touched, pressed together. You could knock the wall down and the crack would stay. Can you hear…?" There was a faint voice coming through the crack.

"Yes, I hear the voice."

The Doctor took a drinking glass from Amelia's bedside table and tipped the left over water onto the floor. Then he placed the glass over the crack and put his ear to it. "Prisoner Zero has escaped," he said.

"That's all it ever says."

"That means there's a prison on the other side of this crack and they've lost a prisoner. Not exactly the ideal neighbors, eh? But if I force the crack open a bit it should snap shut on its own. Stand back." He adjusted the settings on his screwdriver and scanned the crack.

The crack stretched open, the burning light poured out and the voice on the other side became louder. Then a giant eye appeared in the crack.

"What is that?" exclaimed Amelia.

"Hello?" the Doctor shouted into the crack.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped," said the voice and the eye sent a beam of light to the Doctor's pocket. The crack snapped shut.

"What was that?" asked Amelia.

"Don't know, but it sent a message to my psychic paper. 'Prisoner Zero has escaped'. A bit redundant. But why tell us? Unless..." He stepped out into the hall and looked carefully at the walls and doors. There was definitely a perception filter, a strong one, he just wasn't sure where it was. He ran back inside to Amelia.

"Amelia," he whispered. "You know when grownups say 'everything is going to be fine', but you know that it really might not be?"

She nodded.

"I think Prisoner Zero is hiding in your house. But everything is going to be fine. I'm going to take care of it, but I want you to leave the house and run as fast as you can to the safest place you can think of. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Trust me?"

"Yeah."

"Then go on, run."

Amelia bolted down the stairs and out of the house and the Doctor stepped out into the hall and began scanning with his screwdriver.

"There you are," he said, when he located the perception filter. "You've got a whole room to yourself, don't you?"

He was about to open the door, but someone hit over the head from behind and he fell unconscious.

* * *

Amelia ran down the road to the house where Mels Smith, her best friend, lived with her foster parents. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She peeked in the window. The house was empty. No furniture, no carpets, nothing. Had they moved? But she had just seen Mels the day before!

Now where was she going to go? She decided her best option was to drop in on Rory Williams, Mels' other best friend who lived next door. Amelia usually avoided him unless Mels insisted that he was included. But she had to admit he was a nice person, even if a dork and short and _a boy._ He might even know where Mels had gone.

She knocked on the William's door and Brian, Rory's father, opened it.

"Good morning Amelia, are you all right?" Brian said, puzzled.

"I'm okay. Is Rory home?"

"Yes he is, he's eating breakfast, but-"

Amelia walked past Brian and into the kitchen.

"Hey Rory," she said, sitting down at the table across from him.

"Hello Amelia," he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I just felt like hanging out with you." She yawned. She had never stayed up all night before. She felt awful.

"Oh, cool," Rory said awkwardly. "You, uh, you want to watch cartoons?" Amelia Pond _never_ wanted to hang out with him. What had happened?

"Sure." They went into the living room and turned on the television.

"Amelia," said Brian, standing in the doorway. "Are you sure you are alright?"

"I'm fine Mr. Williams," Amelia said. She turned to Rory. "Have you seen Mels this week?"

"Yeah, I saw her yesterday."

"Did say anything about moving away?"

"No. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Oh."

"I'm calling your aunt, Amelia," said Brian, picking up the phone. "Does she even know you are here?"

"No, you don't have to call her. She said I could come over."

"In your nightgown? At seven in the morning?"

"All my other clothes are in the wash."

Brian called Amelia's house, but no one answered. "Amelia, is your aunt even home?"

"She might have gone out for milk or something."

"Well, I'll try again later. I'll be in the garden, Rory."

"Okay, Dad."

Amelia fell asleep on the couch after ten minutes of trying to pay attention to cartoons. Rory didn't notice until she began to snore. He fetched a blanket for her from his room.

Why was she there?

* * *

When he eventually came to, the Doctor was handcuffed to the railing at the top of the stairs. A woman was standing over him, holding a cricket bat. She was tall and pale, with short black hair. She was trembling.

"Where is Amelia?" she asked.

"She's, she's…" He pointed vaguely toward the stairs with his free hand. His thoughts were jumbled.

The woman raised the cricket bat and the Doctor tried to shield his head. "Where is she?"  
"She's safe," he managed. "I told her to run to somewhere safe, so that's where she went. But I didn't' ask where safe was so I don't' know where she is. But Amelia is safe. Are you the aunt? Sharon? Listen-"

"Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor, but-"

"Doctor who?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you think!**

**- Oswin**


	3. Forgotten Room

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Please review! I'd love to hear what you think. :) Chapter 4 will be posted some time in October. - Oswin**

* * *

"Doctor who?" Sharon repeated.

"Doesn't matter!" said the Doctor. "There is something very dangerous in your house and I'm here to take care of it. I'm here to help!"

She hesitated for a moment and then lowered the cricket bat. "Why should I trust you if you won't tell me your name?"

"Because-" He paused. She wasn't going to believe anything he said to her, so he would have to show her. "How many rooms?"

"What?"

"On this floor of the house, how many rooms are there?"

"Five."

"No, six."

"Six?"

"Look behind you, Sharon. Look where you never want to look."

She turned around slowly. "There's another door. That wasn't there before, it couldn't have been." She turned away from the door and then looked again, as if she expected it to disappear. "But that is Augustus and Tabitha's room! How could I forget that room?"

"There is a perception filter over the door. Something very, very dangerous is hiding in there. You need to unlock these cuffs!"

She turned to the Doctor. "Was it you?" she asked.

"Was what me?"

"Did you take my memories?" She raised the bat again.

"What? No! What are you talking about?"

"I told myself it was the medication. Just a side effect. But then I started winding up on street corners at night with no memory of how I got there. And losing things. I didn't tell anyone because I was afraid they would take Amelia away. And now there is a whole room I forgot-"

"Sharon, listen to me," said the Doctor. "Just let me help you. Please."

She stared at him for a moment. To trust him was crazy, but she wanted to anyway. "Okay. Okay, I'll unlock the cuffs. But if you try anything I'll crack your head," she said. She pulled the key out of her pocket, but she dropped it.

"Shit. Did you see where it went?" She crouched and began to feel around on the floor.

"Forget the key, it went under the door." The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver out and began unlocking the cuffs himself.

"What door?" she asked, standing up. "Oh, the hidden one. I stopped seeing it for a moment." She reached for the doorknob.

"Don't open it!" said the Doctor as he stood up and stretched his freed arm. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the door.

"Did you just unlock the cuffs with that buzzy thing?" She asked, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"Its not a _buzzy thing_," said he said indignantly. "It's a sonic screwdriver."

"Why didn't you use it before?"

"Because you didn't trust me and you were brandishing a cricket bat." He scanned the door. "Okay," he said turning back to Sharon. "I have a plan-" He froze. The door behind him was creaking open. A giant worm descended from the ceiling of the hidden room. It stretched its mouth open to reveal rows of long razor-like teeth.

"Its behind me, isn't it?" said the Doctor, in response to Sharon's horrified expression.

"Duck!" she screamed and swung the bat. She struck the creature's head and it coiled back, hissing.

The Doctor stumbled forward, spun about and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the doorframe. "Prisoner Zero!" he said. "You're a multiform, aren't you? But you aren't disguised. Haven't had the time? All you could manage was the perception filter, but I just dismantled that. Your guards should be here any second."

Suddenly a bright light surrounded Prisoner Zero. _"Prisoner Zero is located. Prisoner Zero is restrained," _announced a voice identical to the one that the Doctor had heard in the crack in Amelia's wall. Prisoner Zero disappeared with a shriek.

"Its gone," Sharon sighed. She dropped the bat.

"Gone for good!" said the Doctor, grinning.

Sharon slowly entered Prisoner Zero's former hiding place. Blue paint was peeling off the walls and there were a couple broken pieces of furniture in the corner. The air smelled dank.

"I remember this room," she said. "I helped my sister Tabitha paint it. Did that thing, Prisoner Zero, make me forget her and Augustus? Did it kill them?" she asked suddenly, horrified.

"I don't think so," said the Doctor. "But I'm not certain. Tell me about them."

Sharon tried to remember. "Tabitha looked a lot like me, but she had red hair like Amy. She was older than me. Augustus was…short and….he was an accountant…"

"How did they die?"

"I…I don't know."

"Think carefully, Sharon. Tell me about their funeral, surely you remember that?"

"No. I can't remember anything."

"Do you remember the crack in Amelia's wall?"

"Oh, she showed you that? I wish she would get over it-"

"Sharon, that wasn't just a crack in a wall, it was a crack in time and space!" said the Doctor, quickly. "Cracks like that don't just change memories, they cause lifetimes to un-happen. Tabitha and Augustus weren't killed. They got too close to the crack and were erased from reality."

"Oh my God," said Sharon.  
"No, no, no, it's fixable. I can bring them back. I sealed the crack, the paradox will start to resolve itself and I will hop in the Tardis and – the paradox," the Doctor gasped. "The paradox is _Amelia_! She can't exist!" He ran out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house.

"What do you mean?" Sharon shouted as she followed him. "Where is she?"  
"Safe! I told her to go somewhere safe!" said the Doctor, spinning around and nearly bumping into Sharon. "But where is safe? Where would she go?"

Sharon thought for a moment and then said, "Mel's house!" She sprinted off and the Doctor followed.


	4. Fading Child

**Authors Note: Sorry for the long gap between updates, I've had an eventful semester. I hope this chapter was worth the wait ;)**

* * *

"Amelia? Amy dear, are you in there?" Sharon called as she banged on Mel's door.

The Doctor peered in a window. "Are you sure this is the right house? It looks like it has been empty a long time."

"Yes, I'm sure," she said. "Although it used to be different, I think. I never noticed that it was so run down."

The Doctor scanned the house with his screwdriver. "That's because it wasn't. This place is flooded with time energy. That might be because of the paradox…or another crack perhaps. Stay here." He unlocked the door with his sonic and stepped inside.

The house looked like it had been abandoned for decades. There was a thick layer of dust on the floor and the collapsed furniture in the corner. Dust swirled in the light streaming through the curtain-less windows.

A vague feeling crept over the Doctor as he walked from room to room. Not déjà vu, but something similar. Someone's existence was missing from that place. He hoped it wasn't Amelia. No, it couldn't be Amelia. Paradox or none, he would save her.

"Well, she isn't here, and neither is anyone else," he said when he stepped back outside.

"Oh my God, where did she go?" Sharon was beginning to be overwhelmed by the panic.

"Excuse me, are you looking for Amelia?" asked Brian Williams. Sharon turned to face him. He was standing in his yard, spade in hand, looking perplexed.

"Yes!" said the Doctor, running up to him. "Have you seen her?"

"She's inside watching cartoons with my son," Brian said, nodding toward the house.

"Oh thank God," said Sharon. She ran into Brian's house with the Doctor and Brian close behind.

"Is something wrong?" asked Brian.

"Everything is going to be fine," said the Doctor, even though he knew it probably wasn't.

"Amelia?" Sharon called, walking through the kitchen and into the living room.

"Shh. She fell asleep," said Rory, motioning to Amelia. She was curled up under the blanket, so that only her red hair could be seen.

The Doctor pushed past Sharon and crouched by Amelia. "Amelia, wake up," he said, gently shaking her shoulder. "She's not sleeping- at least, not anymore," he said quickly.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Rory, standing up from the couch.

"She's fading, fast." The Doctor scooped her up and carried her out of the house.

"Doctor! Where are you going?" Sharon called after him. But he sprinted down the street without answering.

The Doctor estimated that Amelia had five minutes, maybe less. She was becoming transparent, almost like a reflection on water. As he sprinted into the garden he could feel her growing lighter and lighter in his arms as she was erased from reality. He couldn't let this happen. She was the first person he met after his regeneration. He would not let her be erased from time forever.

"Hold on, Amelia!" he shouted as he shoved open the Tardis doors and laid her down on the floor by the console. He stumbled around the console twirling dials and pulling levers. Then he crouched on the floor by Amelia.

"Listen to me," he said, even though he was unsure if she could hear him. He tried to brush her hair out of her eyes but his hand passed over her face as if she were a hologram. "I know you are very frightened but I want you to keep a level head, okay?"

She could hear him. His voice sounded so sad, but it was far away.

"The Tardis is stabilizing your existence but that's only a temporary fix. Think about your life, Amelia. Try to remember yourself."

She tried to call out to the Doctor but her voice just wasn't there. She felt like she was falling and would never stop.

"There are so many things that make you special and so many reasons why you are important." He was starting to panic. "What's your favorite pair of shoes? Favorite book? Favorite color?"

She felt so scattered and empty, but she tried to focus. Her favorite shoes were her red wellies. Her favorite book was…she couldn't remember. It was a history book…about the Romans! Yes! But what was it called? Favorite color…red? No, not anymore. Now it was blue. Blue like the Doctor's police box and the walls of her room. The Doctor sounded closer now, but why was he so sad?

"Amelia, please come back!" the Doctor cried. "This is my fault, I'm so sorry."

She wasn't falling anymore, she was floating. But she still couldn't call out.

He could see the color returning to her face, and he started to hope. "You exist!" he said, as if the wish of a Time Lord could control reality. "The universe cannot go on without you, Amelia. That's why this paradox is going to resolve itself without erasing you."

"Doctor?" Amelia managed to whisper. She opened her eyes and stared up at the raggedy man.

"Amelia," he said with relief.

"What happened? Are you crying?"

"Crying? Ha ha, I'm not crying," he said, awkwardly. He rubbed his eyes and then smiled. "The crack in your wall messed time up a bit and you started to disappear. But don't worry, it's all better now."

"Oh." She sat up and looked around, amazed. "Is this your time machine?"

"Yes, the Tardis. Careful now, you are probably a bit wibbly wobbly." He took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet. She swayed a little bit and then steadied herself.

"Is the swimming pool still in the library?" she asked, becoming more and more curious.

The Doctor laughed. "Probably. Come along, I'll give you a tour." He was happy to focus on something lighthearted, rather than what had just occurred. He started to lead her toward the library but stopped, saying, "Hold up! I need new clothes, don't you think?"

"You look pretty raggedy," Amelia said with a giggle. "Will you buy new clothes in a shop?"

"Well, maybe," he said, thoughtfully. "Why don't we check my closet first?"

* * *

"_This _is your _closet_?"

Amelia was certain that the closet was bigger than all the rooms in her house put together. It was a jumbled mess of overflowing racks and bins filled with every kind of clothing imaginable.

"Yes, of course," the Doctor said. He pulled a shirt off a rack that looked like the cast off of a rodeo cowboy. He held it up for Amelia's opinion and she laughed and shook her head, so he shrugged and tossed it back on the rack. "Have a look around and see if you can find anything…cool."

"Okay."

She wandered down an aisle and the Doctor searched through another, pulling random shirts and trousers out of the mess and throwing most of them back. Amelia found a rack of sunglasses between an assortment Victorian hats and a collection of hideous sweaters. She tried on a pair of yellow sunglasses and stood on her toes to see them in a mirror.

"Amelia! Is plaid cool?" asked the Doctor, from behind a dressing screen.

"No!" she laughed.

"What about bowler hats or ponchos?"

"Definitely not." She put the sunglasses back on the rack and walked off to find something else.

"Aha!" The Doctor appeared at the other end of the aisle and spun about. "How's this? This is cool, right?" He was wearing a red checkered shirt with blue suspenders and brown trousers.

"Well…I guess." He seemed so happy with what he had found that Amelia didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"There's something missing, isn't there? Oh, I know!" He sprinted off and came back. "I want a bowtie," he said.

"A bowtie?" Amelia exclaimed.

"Bowties are cool," he said. "But I haven't got one. Hey, check out the new face!" He spotted his reflection in the mirror on the sunglass rack and ran up to examine his features.

Amelia stared at him dubiously. "What do you mean by new face? You can't get a new face."

"Of course I can, I'm a Time Lord," he said quickly. "A bit heavy on the chin and light on the eyebrows, don't you think? Still, I have had worse."

"What is a Time-"

"And these ears! I can't tell if they are actually too small or if they are just dwarfed by the chin! Anyway, how about we tour the Tardis now?" He ran back to Amy, excited.

"Okay!" She would save her questions for later.

The Doctor took her hand and said, "Allons- no! Definitely can't say that anymore. What did I say earlier?"

Amelia shrugged.

"'Come on, Amelia'? No, uh, come along! That's it! Come along, Pond!"

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are very appreciated and only take a minute, so please leave one below. :)**

**Chapter 5 will be up sooner than you think, but until then, why not check out my new micro-chapter fic, "Dear Melody"?**

**- Oswin**


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